Privacy Online

Communications and personal information that are posted online are usually accessible to a vast number of people. Yet when personal data exist online, they may be searched, reproduced and mined by advertisers, merchants, service providers or even stalkers. Many users know what may happen to their information, while at the same time they act as though their data are private or intimate. They expect their privacy will not be infringed while they willingly share personal information with the world via social network sites, blogs, and in online communities. The chapters collected by Trepte and Reinecke address questions arising from this disparity that has often been referred to as the privacy paradox. Works by renowned researchers from various disciplines including psychology, communication, sociology, and information science, offer new theoretical models on the functioning of online intimacy and public accessibility, and propose novel ideas on the how and why of online privacy. The contributing authors offer intriguing solutions for some of the most pressing issues and problems in the field of online privacy. They investigate how users abandon privacy to enhance social capital and to generate different kinds of benefits. They argue that trust and authenticity characterize the uses of social network sites. They explore how privacy needs affect users’ virtual identities. Ethical issues of privacy online are discussed as well as its gratifications and users’ concerns. The contributors of this volume focus on the privacy needs and behaviors of a variety of different groups of social media users such as young adults, older users, and genders. They also examine privacy in the context of particular online services such as social network sites, mobile internet access, online journalism, blogs, and micro-blogs. In sum, this book offers researchers and students working on issues related to internet communication not only a thorough and up-to-date treatment of online privacy and the social web. It also presents a glimpse of the future by exploring emergent issues concerning new technological applications and by suggesting theory-based research agendas that can guide inquiry beyond the current forms of social technologies.

The book draws a novel approach to data privacy (or data protection) regulations by presenting a solution to the problem of lack of individual control over personal data. It combines economic, technical, and legal perspectives to show how to reinforce individual autonomy and, at the same time, to increase the competitiveness of data economy.

This volume draws together OECD work to date on measures for ensuring effective privacy protection on global networks while continuing to allow the transborder flow of personal data.

The Internet is great—until someone hacks your accounts or otherwise violates your privacy. This expert book provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the key issues and risks relative to online privacy and explains how to counter those risks with solutions everyone needs to know. Rampant violation of online privacy is a problem of epic proportions—and impossible to stamp out. Online Privacy: A Reference Handbook provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand investigation of the history of and controversies surrounding online privacy. It overviews the most critical issues involving topics such as social networking and online medical records. Along the way, this book shares insights and information from experts active in the field and exposes many misconceptions about what is and isn't considered private in the online world. Authors Dixon and Gellman begin with an overview of online privacy that elucidates why this 21st century issue is so critical. They provide key guideposts throughout the book that allow readers to grasp these complex and ever-changing issues, addressing topics that include what comprises online privacy today, what protections exist in current law, and current challenges in international online privacy. The authors also present practical expert advice, providing measures and strategies that readers can take to protect themselves.

Everything we do online, and increasingly in the real world, is tracked, logged, analyzed, and often packaged and sold on to the highest bidder. Every time you visit a website, use a credit card, drive on the freeway, or go past a CCTV camera, you are logged and tracked. Every day billions of people choose to share their details on social media, which are then sold to advertisers. The Edward Snowden revelations that governments - including those of the US and UK – have been snooping on their citizens, have rocked the world. But nobody seems to realize that this has already been happening for years, with firms such as Google capturing everything you type into a browser and selling it to the highest bidder. Apps take information about where you go, and your contact book details, harvest them and sell them on – and people just click the EULA without caring. No one is revealing the dirty secret that is the tech firms harvesting customers’ personal data and selling it for vast profits – and people are totally unaware of the dangers. You: For Sale is for anyone who is concerned about what corporate and government invasion of privacy means now and down the road. The book sets the scene by spelling out exactly what most users of the Internet and smart phones are exposing themselves to via commonly used sites and apps such as facebook and Google, and then tells you what you can do to protect yourself. The book also covers legal and government issues as well as future trends. With interviews of leading security experts, black market data traders, law enforcement and privacy groups, You: For Sale will help you view your personal data in a new light, and understand both its value, and its danger. Provides a clear picture of how companies and governments harvest and use personal data every time someone logs on Describes exactly what these firms do with the data once they have it – and what you can do to stop it Learn about the dangers of unwittingly releasing private data to tech firms, including interviews with top security experts, black market data traders, law enforcement and privacy groups Understand the legal information and future trends that make this one of the most important issues today